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The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth
World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women
Secretariat.
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AS WRITTEN
SLOVENIA
STATEMENT BY MS. VERA KOZMIK,
DIRECTOR OF THE GOVERNMENTAL OFFICE FOR WOMEN'S POLITICS
ACTING HEAD OF THE SLOVENIAN DELEGATION
ON THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN,
BEIJING, 4- 15 SEPTEMBER 1995
Mme Chairperson,
Excellencies,
Honourable delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to address this conference, which is the
last opportunity to lay the foundations for building genuine equality
between women and men in the 21st century. The Slovenian delegation is
pleased to be here in Beijing at this historic moment, especially
since this is the first time that Slovenia, being a young democratic
state which attained independence a mere four years ago, is
participating at a world conference on women.
This is an event which will, I am sure, have far-reaching consequences
for the further development and strengthening of the position of women
around the world. I believe that we will achieve the major goals we
have already set ourselves and those we will set, and that our
efforts, gathered under the significant title Action for Equality,
Development and Peace, will bear fruit.
Many long and careful preparations were needed to bring today's
meeting about. I therefore feel we all owe a debt of thanks to those
who laid the ground for our meeting and the content of the conference,
to the United Nations, and to Secretary-General Gertrude Mongella, who
has undertaken a truly enormous amount of work. In addition, may I
also express our gratitude on behalf of the Slovenian government to
the host country for the comprehensive efforts China has put into
ensuring a well-run event and a pleasant stay in Beijing for the
delegates.
Despite the optimistic words with which I have begun, I am naturally
aware of the onerous tasks confronting the conference: how, given all
the diversity which stems from the economic, social and cultural
situation in the various regions of the world, to find solutions and
measures that will be not just words on paper, but a true basis for
action. While we have succeeded in some parts of the world in ensuring
a relatively high level of development, at least in some spheres, in
terms of equality and guaranteeing women's rights, other women live in
great poverty, burdened by illiteracy, lack of access to healthcare,
education and other services, and sometimes even subjected to the
direst breaches of women's rights, being oppressed or exploited.
Coming as I do from a country that is in some sense a bridge between
Eastern and Western Europe, between war and peace, I perhaps feel and
experience these differences all the more acutely. The economic and
social impact of the transition from socialism to democracy in
Slovenia has not affected women as strongly as in certain Eastern
European countries. Moreover, women in Slovenia have been able to
preserve some of the advantages they enjoy over women in Western
democracies. For example, although trends have been changing recently,
unemployment in Slovenia during the period of transformation has risen
more strongly among men than among women, which reflects the fact that
the process of economic restructuring has more strongly affected
industries which predominantly employ male labour. Women's
representation in politics has not decreased appreciably since the
first democratic elections, while women have formed special groups and
associations within most political parties. The system of public
childcare and health provision has also remained at a high level of
quality. From a legal perspective, Slovenia is a country that
guarantees women full rights in accordance with the principles of
international law, the United Nations Convention On the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and other international
treaties. In order to implement human rights, including women's
rights, Slovenia has adopted a Law on the Human Rights Ombudsman and
instituted a national mechanism for promoting equality between women
and men. The issue of equality is being vigorously addressed in
Slovenia by parliamentary Commission on Women's Politics established
in 1990 and a government Office of Women's Politics established in
1992. Together with numerous non-governmental women's movements and
organisations, these two bodies are working actively to change and
improve the situation with regard to equality between women and men.
Slovenia is also a country to which large numbers of refugees,
primarily women and children, have fled as a result of the conflict in
Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Some 27,000 temporary refugees enjoy
official status in Slovenia. Slovenia is therefore among the countries
that are genuinely facing up to the issue of when and how to ensure a
safe return to the many women wishing to return to their homeland, and
above all how to provide them with the greatest possible dignity and
quality of life during their residence away from home.
The events on our doorstep, in Bosnia and Croatia, are also a
continual reminder to me of the fact that women's rights are not
something that are acquired once and for all, but can quickly be lost
again. For this reason the appeal for solidarity
cannot and must not be merely a bare phrase, but rather a necessary
precondition for the successful work of this conference. We must
therefore also be capable of thinking beyond narrow national concerns,
without ignoring our own interests and specific needs.
In this regard I feel that special attention should be accorded to
women whose situation is most hopeless and whose voice does not
generally carry far. Above all these are women in the poorest parts of
the world, usually in rural areas. What have we done to genuinely
improve the condition of the average woman in such regions? Frankly,
not enough. We should therefore recognise the need to rethink the
effectiveness of previous aid programmes and government involvement,
and above all establish control mechanisms to enable proposed measures
to be implemented effectively.
Another important group to which special attention is due are refugees
and migrants. Simply by carrying out concrete programmes to alleviate
their plight we might relieve and improve their situation. Women
refugees account for a significant proportion of women who are
suffering as a result of the worst forms of violence - mass rape as a
strategy of war and the display of power. Ensuring adequate protection
to such women is the least we can do; I expect the conference to issue
the severest condemnation of such practices and to support the
punishment of those responsible for violence. Indeed, mechanisms are
at our disposal from which we may expect appropriate measures. We have
the International Court For War Crimes; and mass rape is surely a war
crime par excellence.
The next group of women whom I would specifically like to mention are
those from countries in which the economic and social systems are in a
process of change; that is, the countries in transition. The
experience of these countries shows that the consequences of economic
and social crisis fall heavily upon women, who even face the loss of
certain rights taken for granted under the previous undemocratic
system.
Nor should we forget that sexual discrimination often begins in the
earliest years of life. Girls are therefore an especially vulnerable
group; investing in their health and education, eliminating violence,
especially violent interference with their physical integrity, and
eradicating their neglect in favour of boys is an investment in future
generations, and hence in changing the climate, attitudes and
behaviour of society as a whole.
Finally, may I mention two key achievements which, I hope, represent a
common basis for our efforts. The first relates to human rights and to
ensuring that they are observed. The systematic violation of human
rights and fundamental freedoms inevitably involves violations of
women's rights, which are an inalienable, integral and indivisible
part of universal human rights and freedoms. To be sure,
discriminatory attitudes towards women are not just a women's problem,
but a problem for the whole of society, since they influence society
and obstruct social development. I therefore believe that a priority
task of the international community should be to enable women to enjoy
their internationally guaranteed human rights to the full,
irrespective of the various barriers of culture, faith, custom and
tradition. In order to remove obstacles to the effective
implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women, Slovenia supports moves for an
additional protocol to the convention which would provide the right of
individual and collective appeal. We thus join the appeal of the
Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights
and the appeal of the Vienna Platform that the United Nations
Commission on the Status of Women and the Committee for the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women should study the
possibility of introducing the right of appeal.
Another important question to which I would like to draw attention
concerns the right to free choice in matters of reproduction and life
styles. In the context of reproductive rights the right to decide
freely on childbearing is of special importance, being a fundamental
human right and a prerequisite for true equality.
In Slovenia this right is enshrined in the constitution and recognised
as a human freedom. The right of free choice is founded on the right
of all individuals to decide freely and responsibly whether to have
children, how many to have and when, without procedures of force and
coercion. Denial of reproductive rights leads to the limitation of
women's opportunities in all spheres of social and private life, while
the criminalisation of abortion places their health in direct
jeopardy.
It is true that many countries intervene in family planning, be it
because of falling birth rates or because of excessive population
growth. Yet the experience of countries which face falling birth
rates, Slovenia among them, shows that the problem cannot be solved by
imposing restrictions on abortion. Such measures serve only to
increase the number of illegal abortions and do not contribute to
raising the birth rate. We must therefore face up to the challenge
that modern societies confront when they must make it possible for
women and men to a fulfil a responsible parental and occupational
role, while adapting social viewpoints to new familial forms.
I would like to raise a further point. In speaking of reproductive
rights and health, we often consider them in an overly narrow sense.
Reproductive health is not simply health during pregnancy and after
childbirth, but extends to all aspects of reproductive health
throughout a woman's lifetime, including a responsible, satisfying and
safe sex life.
Madam Chairperson, ladies and gentlemen,
This conference will set the priorities and goals for equality between
women and men for the next decade. I hope the goals will be ambitious,
that equality will be a priority and that participation of women in
political and public life on an equal footing with men will make them
possible. The challenges are indeed immense. In conclusion may I
express the readiness and commitment of my government to meet them
through concrete actions for the empowerment of women and to take this
opportunity to convey my best wishes to the conference for successful
and productive work.
Thank you for your attention.